He added he is not sure whether Putin, “a proud man” in his term, would accept the invitation.

Trump demands that Russia be readmitted to the group despite disagreement of other leaders.

The G8 format (the US, Canada, Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Japan and Russia) had been in place from 1998-2014. It was then reduced to G7 due to disagreements with Russia regarding the events in Crimea and Ukraine.

The US takes over the rotating presidency of G7 in 2020. Trump said the next summit might be in Miami, Florida.